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NEW 2010 - Lionfish SMASH!? or put some Volatins in your Vodka?

This just in from Kent. Big happenings over in Bimini, the guys got the lionfish's number and want to punch it.

http://www.fksa.org/albums/album384/Lionfish_smash.jpg

The first lionfish I ever saw in the Atlantic was under two miles north of this spot on North Bimini almost two years ago (see below). It was followed by way too many more. No known natural predators in the Atlantic, as of yet uncertain impact on existing fish stocks, juvenile snapper and grouper, etc.. Lionfish are super common in the family islands now, wonder what is now less common as a result? Why not try to give the Atlantic waters back to native Atlantic species? Worth a try.

http://www.fksa.org/albums/album292/Lionfish_7_s.jpg
Volatins poaching way out of Pacific waters in a foreign sea, our Atlantic. Not good.

Who has seen these in Florida?

I caught one with a little kids fishing net a few years ago in south beach. It was floating under some sea weed and they were gonna grab it, it was a baby...so yes i have seen one

I've done quite a bit of spearing in the Bahamas and had never really seen one until this year. Actually, unless you are really looking, you probably wouldn't see them because they are actually kind of hard to spot at first. My last trip over I saw at least 10-15 of them in around 50 feet of water. They were hanging around a great grouper spot and weren't really afraid of anything.

On a guess I'd bet that at least 300 of them will meet their end at the Bimini event. I understand that they will even have someone there showing how to prepare the tasty little critters for dinner.

I'm definitely going to this event just before the Nationals in Corpus Christi, TX. The nice thing is that I'll probably even get some kiting in as well. Should be fun.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danimal8199 (Post 39332)

I caught one with a little kids fishing net a few years ago in south beach. It was floating under some sea weed and they were gonna grab it, it was a baby...so yes i have seen one

So it was a juvenile (about how long?) floating along beneath a mat of sargassum? With that as a means of distribution of the species, no wonder it has been found from Honduras, throughout the Bahamas, Turk & Caicos, Bermuda and up to Long Island, NY. Not good but pays to know. Didn't see any notes about that in the life cycle comments I found.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kent (Post 39345)

As a rule, they stay close to the bottom/rocks in the daytime preferring crevices and overhangs. Even if they're in the open, unless you focus on them in the distance they can be easy to miss. Up close they really stand out though. The ones I have seen in Bimini and in the Berry's were in about 10 ft. of water. Off Andros around Fresh Creek, around 50 ft. although I heard about a sighting of over a dozen in 10 or so feet of water around a derrick near the harbor. If there is cover, they may occur at shallower depths. Also, if you're looking for fish yourself, it is less likely in many areas you will be that shallow anyway. I understand they range out to about 250 ft. of water and can be common below 80 ft. in NE Florida. Haven't seen any on a reef in SE Florida yet, understand some have seen them here though.

I think your guess of a few hundred is in the ballpark. If guys tune into to where they are most likely found, they might even go past that point. Maybe tow around likely spots to scout prospects in advance. It is good the organizers are going to give tips on how to approach and deal with lionfish to avoid getting stung, nasty venom there.

More about the little buggers at:

http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/docum...ionfish_ia.pdf
http://fksa.org/showthread.php?p=39347#post39347
http://keysnews.com/node/11058

Some limited medical considerations:
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/770764-overview
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/770764-treatment

It was only 3 or so inches a really little guy. I'm not sure what the potency of their venom is when they are that small, but if they are like snakes then it can still be very painful. Kids don't know any better either and they were trying to play with it. At that size I remember that the spines/frills were not very pronounced but none the less it really stood out and was 100% a lion fish.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danimal8199 (Post 39350)

Interesting story, thanks for posting it. Yours is the first story I've heard about them hanging out in sargassum mats. Fry of numerous species are distributed all over in that fashion. Do they even have sargassum mats or equivalent in the Indo Pacific? Or has our boy Volatins adopted not only a new ocean but means of distribution in their invasion?

Anyone going to Bimini? Thinking about it myself.

http://www.fksa.org/albums/album392/...p_Lionfish.jpg
This one was cruising along in about 15 ft. of water off Great Stirrup in the Berrys last year

I'm heading over if the sea conditions allow. Boy, if that little bugger is swimming that close to me on May 2nd, he'll be dancing on the end of my spear!

They actually have a chef coming over to teach us how to cook these guys. I guess that they taste pretty good. It's different from Blow fish for example in that the poison is only in the barbs and not actually in the fish.

May is a great time for the Bahamas, I can't wait.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kent (Post 39868)

Sounds like a plan and hope the wx cooperates for your crossings. Yes, preparing blowfish can be a dodgy proposition. Slice a bit too deep or in the wrong area and instant toxin tainted fillets. As I recall, the symptoms victims exhibit helped a roving researcher doped out some of the active ingredients in "zombie powder" in Haiti. Not only did the cookers use blowfish venom but also strong alkaloids from toads. Hey, no toad licking here!

May have posted this before, it is pretty amusing and I usually avoid cooking shows like the plague. Still, it shows one means of culinary conquest of the Volatins.

Somebody wrote lionfish taste like grouper?! Could be a whole new market. Hey Kent, they got zombie powder at Bimini Bay for guests? Bomba Shack has full moon mushroom tea, could start a fad.

The contest was delayed due to weather ... too much wind, ha! We know what to with that right?! Anyway, it was held over Memorial Day and Kent fills us in on what went on complete with some great photos from the scene. Can you say "Volatins Sashimi?"

Quote:

Originally Posted by kent (Post 40606)

I actually only dove a short while as we were really looking for Tuna. We dive pretty close to the island when it's only the 2 of us as this area is rather dangerous due to strong currents and sharks.

I did see sharks on the South tip of the island and we decided to move. I bet that there are several wrecks around the area as large rocks poke through the surface in many unexpected places.

I'm sure that there are tons of Bulls and Tigers in the area. I even saw a special about Tigers and could clearly see the light house in the back ground. I did speak with one of the 3 groups that do shark dives in Bimini. He indicated that Tigers are really one of the best sharks to dive with as they are predictable and rather slow moving feeders. He commented on the fact that while Bimini has many, many Tigers, they have yet to find a location around Bimini where they can bring in Tigers with out the Bulls. He even does all of this Tiger shark dives off the coast of Grand Bahama as they can bring them in with out the Bull Sharks. Apparently Bulls are not at all predictable and can't be trusted to swim with.

We did get back over to Bimini last weekend for the Lion Fish Smash. The winning boat had 49 fish and a total of 75 were taken in a single day. Most were around the wrecks over the bank, but I found some very large fish under the ledges just South of Bimini. This area was very nice for spearing, but is very, very sharky. We were spread just a bit while drifting from West to East heading toward the bank. Paula stayed a bit behind with the boat while 3 others including myself drifted along with the current toward the bank. I looked up to urge Paula to head our way and saw the boat very near her. The driver said that Paula was over a large Hog and one of us should come back to get it. I was trying to swim back toward Paula, but the current was too strong so the boat quickly picked me up to run toward her. As we were about 20 yards from her she starts screaming that a shark was after her. She had no spears, etc. to fend it off and was on top of the water. As we neared her I could see the shark just next to her and i quickly plucked her from the water. I believe that this area is so heavily speared that they expect to eat when they see divers. This is a bad situation and I'd personally avoid swimming in this area if you are not familiar with how to properly react to "shark inquiries". I explained to Paula that if this happens in the future that she needs to keep her face in the water to keep an eye on the fish. It's generally best to make yourself very large and agressively swim toward the shark. This is usually enough to fend them off (reef sharks).

The more time I spend in the Bahamas, the more I like it. FYI, you can generally fly Bimini Island Air round trip for around $200 and find a place to stay for $100 per night (holds as many as you wish).

Here are a few pics from the Lion Fish Smash... FYI our boat only got 6, but we were really looking for dinner! I think we found it!!!

Enjoy...

The winning boat! 49 fish
http://images2d.snapfish.com/2323232...A7657337nu0mrj

Noaa was on hand to study the fish
http://images2d.snapfish.com/2323232...4%3B6337nu0mrj

Careful cleaning... the meat is white and tasted great. i even had lion sushimi
http://images2c.snapfish.com/2323232...3B%3B337nu0mrj

Bimini Sunset:
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._6976630_n.jpg

Small turtle
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._6274937_n.jpg

hunting in the clear water
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-...63_1676674.jpg

very large star fish on the bank
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._4596694_n.jpg

killer rainbow
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-...66_1943555.jpg

the catch
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._6101289_n.jpg

nice hog and mutton... kite shop miami promo too
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._8342265_n.jpg